Kant s The Categorical Imperative - 875 Words

Kant believed that good intentions count. He also thought that the morality of an action is determined by the intentions behind it rather than its consequences. Kant tells that courage isn’t good by itself, but good when combined with good intentions. In Kant’s eyes, consequences are irrelevant to assessments of moral worth. He believed the only appropriate motive for moral action is a sense of duty. Sense of duty is doing something solely because it is the right thing to do, not just acting purely out of inclinations is the only just motive for action. Kant defined maxim to be the underlying principles motivating an action which determine its moral worth, not the end result. This sharply contrasts with Mill’s utilitarianism. Kant developed the categorical imperative which is based on Kant’s belief that morality is derived from rationality. The categorical imperative is an absolute moral law to be upheld regardless of circumstances. He was a deontologist, meaning that he believed that moral judgement is contained in the action alone. His categorical imperative is broken down into three maxims. The first is universality which means that for an action to be moral in your circumstances, it must be okay for everyone else in the world to do also. The next maxim is to always treat people as an end rather than a means to an end. This means that someone can never lie or manipulate someone for any reason. The third maxim is that everyone should behave as if they are the absoluteShow MoreRelatedKant And Kant s Categorical Imperative1241 Words   |  5 Pages Immanuel Kant, an 18th-century moral philosopher, had contended that the fundamental principle of morality is the Categorical Imperative, from here will be additionally labeled as (CI) or otherwise mentioned. He supported his view by suggesting a pure moral philosophy; a metaphysics of morals that is not solely for rational beings to explore different ¬ sources of basic moral principle s that are found through their own observational experience a priori, but additionally for the sake of morality asRead MoreKant s Categorical Imperative Essay1246 Words   |  5 Pagesutilitarianism, Kant was more focused on intent and action itself. This leads into one of Kantian ethics main ideals; you mustn’t treat another human being as a means to an end. Kant’s Categorical Imperative (CI) is a deontological theory, which relied heavily on his belief that humans are all capable of reason in the same manner, on the same level (A Brief Summary of Kant s Categorical Imperative, 2012). Kant recognized 2 kinds of moral ‘imperatives’, a hypothetical imperative (what must be doneRead MoreKant s First Categorical Imperative984 Words   |  4 PagesI will not use a person s information for my own profit without his consent. (1) According to Kant’s first categorical imperative, the formula of the universal law, â€Å"Act only on that maxim through whic h you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.† (Korsgaard) (2) Kant stated that people should act from the maxim or their own personal rule. (3) Therefore, under the rule, using a person’s information for profit without his consent is an irrational action, so it is unethicalRead MoreKant s Categorical Imperative Of The Modern Era826 Words   |  4 PagesEmmanuel Kant was an influential philosopher and strong proponent of the modern era. Besides his large contribution to epistemology and metaphysics, his work in ethics was just as substantial. Kant’s ethics came to propose an objective morality, where moral judgments is not only true according to a person s subjective view. He believed the moral worth of an action is not determined by its consequence but the motive behind it. Through Kant’s ethics, he demonstrates this duty through his unconditionalRead MoreKant s Categorical Imperative Essay1454 Words   |  6 PagesIn this paper , I will explain the concept of Kant’s Categorical Imperative, and show how he used it to justify why it is wrong to lie to an inquiring murderer. I will note how he arrived at this conclusion, and why I consider it to be the correct moral answer. According to Kant, the Categorical Imperative is the supreme law of morality by which a particular rule that an individual takes as a maxim must be accepted by all rational beings. This universal acceptance is what judges an action to beRead MoreKant s Categorical Imperative Essay1190 Words   |  5 PagesIn section I of Immanuel Kant’s categorical imperative, Kant argues that every human being alive is subject to the categorical imperative. Kant came to this conclusion by arguing that the only thing that is good without needing qualification is a good will. Throughout this paper I will discuss Kant’s good will and his three propositions. A good will is an act done from duty and motivated by respect. If a person manifests a good will in action, the respect for duty determines that I do the actionRead MoreKant s Categorical Imperative Essay2239 Words   |  9 PagesKant’s Categorical Imperative An imperative is the linguistic form of a ‘command of reason’. In section II of the Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals, German philosopher Immanuel Kant writes, â€Å"the conception of an objective principle, in so far as it is obligatory for a will, is called a command (of reason), and the formula of the command is called an imperative.† It is a rule telling us what we ought to do. He distinguishes between two types of imperatives: hypothetical and categoricalRead MoreKant s Categorical Imperative And Morality1297 Words   |  6 PagesKant: The Categorical Imperative and Morality Immanuel Kant, a Prussian philosopher, was a leader in the rationalization of society and morality. His revolutionary law, known as the categorical imperative, was a major step toward freeing morality, and people in general, from the bounds of a religious authority or moral absolute to judge them. Working during the Enlightenment, he contributed to the flow of similarly progressive ideas during this pivotal era in human development and knowledge. BroughtRead MoreKant s Categorical Imperative Essay1448 Words   |  6 PagesKant’s categorical imperative is a natural conclusion of reason when searching for a moral guideline that does not depend on previous expense but reason alone. The categorical imperative can be explained in many different ways. Kant offers five formulations in his work groundwork of the metaphysics of morals. The formulations of Kant’s categorical imperative can be considered a test. If your maxim passes the test then your actions under that maxim wi ll be good. The formulations that Kant offers,Read MoreKant s Categorical Imperative Essay983 Words   |  4 PagesImmanuel Kant is known for his absolute and idealistic approach to answering this question, with which he provides us a medium to answer it. Kant calls this his categorical imperative. Throughout this paper I will break down Kant’s view on ethics, explain one formulation of his categorical imperative, and evaluate his theory on an existential level. Kant was a firm believer that there are two different worlds. He called them the â€Å"World of Phenomena,† and the â€Å"World of the Noumena.† Kant describes